Al Wasl coach Diego Maradona has promised to throw the kitchen sink at Al Ahli when the Dubai rivals lock horns in their Etisalat Cup semi-final at Rashid Stadium on Sunday evening.
Wasl booked its spot in the last-four after finishing second in Group A behind Al Jazira, but their hard-fought 4-3 win over the UAE league champions should give them heart and all the confidence they need ahead of their meeting with Ahli, who pipped defending champions Al Shabab on goal difference to take the summit in Group B.
“A good week of training and a well-executed plan helped us win. We’ve conceded a lot of goals in the past rounds and now we’ve started scoring goals and we can believe in our team,” said Maradona. “We have our objectives and goals for the rest of the season and are on course to achieve them. We will show heart and passion to win against Ahli and do the best we can when we face them.”
Maradona’s side has a few absentees though with Mohammed Jamal and Fahad Masoud set to miss the game due to injuries. The former Argentina manager could be tempted to give star playmaker Mariano Donda some time in the middle after a lengthy absence due to an illness as he bids for what could be his only title of the season.
In defence, trusted central defender Yasser Salem has been forced to sit out due to a yellow card suspension, but in-form frontman Juan Manuel Olivera will take his place at the top of his 4-3-2-1 formation.
Mohammed Reza Khalatbari scored the winner against Jazira and will be manning the flanks in place of Rashed Essa, who is out with the UAE Olympic team.
“Maybe we aren’t the best teams in terms of performances but we have the ability to play football like it should be played, beautifully,” added Mourinho. “We like to work our game out and carry the ball forward and not just send long balls forward. Wasl like to entertain as well as win when they play.”
Hosts Ahli appear stronger on paper with only striker Ahmad Khalil missing due to his commitments with the UAE Olympic team as they prepare for their crucial final group encounter with Uzbekistan on March 14.
Quique Sanchez-Flores though has plenty of cover for the youngster, with tournament top scorer Grafite and Achille Emana both in top form for the Red Knights. Defender Yousef Mohammed is back from international duty with Lebanon, while Luis Jimenez is also available and seems in fine touch.
